As travel behaviors and preferences continue to evolve, it’s important to approach destination and traveler research with careful audience segmentation.
There are almost as many different types of travelers—from luxury travelers to adventurers to culture and history buffs—as there are places to visit in the world. In this analysis, we’ll examine the cultural tourism market to learn more about travelers who venture out to experience different cultures and learn about history (i.e., cultural travelers).
We will also assess the cultural travel market in 30 global markets and answer questions such as where cultural travelers in China and the United States plan to go, how much they tend to spend on travel, and where they stay during their vacations.
Where in the world are the cultural travelers?
The appeal of cultural travel is strong worldwide. Data from Global Travel Profiles – YouGov’s travel-specific audience monitoring and destination tracking tool, available in 30 markets, reveals that 23% of global leisure travelers say they travel for culture and history.
Looking around the world, we see that Japan is the country with the largest number of cultural travelers: 33% of Japanese consumers planning to travel have a strong interest in cultural and historical exploration. Similarly, travelers in the UK (31%) and Spain (30%) also share a strong affinity for cultural travel.
There are several other markets where the share of cultural travellers is higher than the global average, including the Netherlands (27%), Italy (26%), China (26%), Finland (25%), Malaysia (24%), the United States (24%) and Australia (23%).
At the other end, travelers to Chile, Colombia, Thailand and Brazil are the least likely to say they are traveling for culture and history.
Market information for cultural travelers
Segmenting cultural travelers can help us more accurately analyze their travel habits, motivations, and decision-making processes. Additionally, understanding the preferences of these culture and history enthusiasts allows destination marketers and tourism boards to effectively promote their unique cultural assets and enhance the visitor experience.
Let’s take a look at some information about cultural travelers from the following key markets:
WE
- Number of trips:40% of U.S. cultural travelers plan to take 3 or more trips in 2023.
- Type of accommodation:62% of US cultural travelers stay in standard hotels/motels (3 stars or less) when traveling and 42% stay in luxury hotels (4 or 5 stars).
- Destination Preferences:The most considered destinations among this group are Italy (41%), the United Kingdom (39%), Hawaii (38%), Canada (37%) and Scotland (35%).
China
- Length of stay at the hotel:13% of Chinese cultural travelers stayed in a hotel for more than 8 nights last year.
- Holiday expenses:35% of Chinese cultural travelers spent more than ¥6,000 ($840) per person on their last trip.
- Destination Preferences:Japan (40%), Hong Kong (36%), Singapore (36%), Macau (34%) and Thailand (32%) are the most considered destinations among this group of cultural travelers.
India
- Number of trips abroad:21% of Indian cultural travellers took 3 or more trips abroad in the last year.
- Destination Preferences:Himachal (46%), Goa (43%), Kerala (41%), Maldives (39%) and Dubai (39%) are the most considered destinations by Indian cultural travellers.
United Arab Emirates
- Travel companions:34% of cultural travelers traveled with family members, such as parents or grandparents, on their last vacation.
- Type of accommodation:These travelers are just as likely to say they stay in luxury hotels (49%) as standard hotels (48%) during their vacation.
- Destination Preferences:Cultural travellers from the UAE are most likely to consider Dubai (52%), Abu Dhabi (44%), the UK (42%), Switzerland (39%) and the Maldives (37%) for their next holiday.
Norway
- Holiday expenses:52% of Norwegian cultural travelers spent more than NOK 10,000 ($929) per person on their last vacation.
- Destination Preferences:Italy (46%) tops the list of countries considered in this group, followed by Denmark (41%), Spain (41%), Norway (40%) and the United Kingdom (37%).
UNITED KINGDOM
- Holiday period:Outside of summer, September is the busiest month for travel among cultural travellers in the UK (14% intend to go on holiday in September).
- Age breaks:28% of UK cultural travellers are aged 18-34 and a similar proportion are aged 35-49 (28%). More than two in five (43%) are aged 50 and over.
- Destination Preferences:The destinations most considered by these travelers are Italy (53%), Spain (47%), Greece (42%), France (41%) and Portugal (40%).
There’s still a lot to learn about travelers who enjoy discovering stories from the past and embarking on cultural journeys. Our data can also provide insights into other types of vacationers, such as those who travel for health and wellness or those who take shorter weekend trips.
By leveraging this type of audience insights research during a key travel recovery period, marketers and tourism boards can uncover evolving trends, preferences and behaviors to make informed decisions about specific traveler segments and stay ahead of their competitors.
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